My weights are based off my max lifts, whether they be in the gym or in training.

Squat - 185, Bench - 105, Deadlift - 240

Week 9
(You can go back through my blog if you want to read all of the training logs that got me to this point!)

I'm already getting butterflies just thinking about it... as I type this blog... ONE WEEK from testing myself, I could literally just be sick! I always get this way before a meet. First of all - It makes me a nervous wreck to be up in front of people. At the same time, it's SO exhilarating when everyone cheers for you as you take the platform. Second.... It is TRULY a testament to your training!!! And although everyone usually FEELS like you're training hard throughout the cycle, getting on that platform to PROVE it is the God's honest TRUTH about where you stand and how HARD you fought to get here... it's that all telling MOMENT
And it scares me to death.
My mock meet will be held at our own gym and with all the guys I train with on a regular basis... so the being in front of people anxiety should not be so bad. But I know me... and I'm sure I'll be just as nervous!

ALSO - I'm really close to my competition weight right now... with no real strict watch on my diet.
But B-rad feels like I should use this "mock" opportunity to try to do a strict cut.
Our last actual meet, I did a NO-CARB diet for 3 weeks prior to the meet. I dropped almost 15 pounds and was really close to dropping a weight class. BUT my lift numbers were down... I don't know if it was because of my diet, or because the meet for me was one flub up after another throwing me off my game.
So manipulating my diet one week out should be interesting this time.. to see how it affects me.

WHICH MEANS....
tonight is my last night to eat....
well... I mean... to eat like I like to eat! ha ha
We are going to do a strict diet and water manipulation starting tomorrow... to see how well I can cut and see how well I can recomp prior to the actual meet!

So anyway.... this is my last log before deload and diet manipulation.... I'll keep you posted on how that is going and then of course..... MY RESULTS.... next Sunday night

Put on the ol' INZER here to try out some overloading... with the straps up! YIKES! I had never done this before.... boy it's a PAIN to get down to that bar in that suit....
Tried 275... FAILED. I think it was mostly because I was fighting against the suit to get in position instead of working WITH the suit. So I tried it again
275 - SUCCESS! x 1

My 275 lift success is a bit hitched yes... But I still LOVE IT! WHY?!! Because my right hand is my OVER hand and I REGRETFULLY forgot to cut my fingernails before deadlift night. So even with powdered legs, that hand full of nails sunk into my thigh skin on the way up.... I just ripped it out and kept going! This picture HARDLY does the blood justice!
Real nice....... BATTLE WOUNDS!!!

After this... dropped back down and repped out 225 x 7

Since I was already in the suit and getting used to having those hateful straps up... We decided to squat some more for my accessory work (and it's always good to get some more squatting in!)

Also - just for fun... in one of my first sets of wide-stance squats... as I hit depth - I blew out my shorts. Don't worry though - I finished my set... cheeks out and ALL! I finished the work out in blown out shorts with first of all a t-shirt around my waist.... then B-rad got me his squat suit which is entirely GIANT on me. I put that on over my shorts and held it up with my SpudInc belt!!
Good thing we ARE here to work and NOT for a fashion show!! ha ha
Cause I of course had NO back up clothing in my bag.
Lesson learned
Tell me THAT'S not dedication and HARD CORE!!! LOL ...... I dare ya! ;-)

So that concludes this cycle of THE CUBE METHOD........
that's it folks.
All she wrote.
Starting tomorrow...... I'll be in hell...... and likely be an evil WENCH by week end from lack of carbs.
But hey..... I'll make weight and then I'm gonna KILL SOME WEIGHTS come next Sunday

I know you'll be on the edge of your seats waiting to hear my results!!!!!!
I'm just happy Monday after that is Labor Day...... REST DAY!

This - Week EIGHT - is probably one of THE best weeks I have had in my training thus far. Mentally... By that I mean, I am having fun... I am actually ENJOYING my work outs. I'm doing stuff I couldn't do before. I'm getting stronger and I can actually feel it and see it!! It's crazy!
I mean - before... I could theoretically look back at my old lifts and by the numbers, I could see that I have to be stronger. Logically. But through this weeks training - I actually FEEL stronger! I can do things I NEVER thought I would be able to do!
And for me...... THAT is untouchable!

275 went pretty easy... 300 was a bit more a challenge... but good indicator that strength is coming up!!!

Dead sumo 165 x 5 x 3
Deadlift to knees (this is done from the ground with a good pause at the knee before pulling all the way up!)
135 x 3 x 2.... for my last set - I repped it out... felt great. 135 x 12!

I am now ONE more training week out from my MOCK meet for the Cube.
Feeling pretty good although thinking about that DANG bench still gives me butterflies. I haven't flat benched in WEEKS... but my overhead press and my incline bench press have both gone up and gotten stronger.... soooooooo - Here's hoping!!
I feel stronger, just hope it SHOWS on the flat bench!

I also sent my baby boy off to college this week. Everyone was betting I wouldn't make it to the gym for bodybuilding night after spending a day moving my baby boy out.
But I DID!
We got everything moved and got him settled him in and ready for big boy life!!!

(this might be the cleanest his dorm ever looks... with his AWESOME quilt!! )

Let's get it started this week..... Work HARD and prepare for that platform

OHHHHHHHHHH - also......... BONUS!!!!
We competed in an APA meet back in June and they finally got the KY records updated!!!
Look at me..... Holding Records!!!!
just Kentucky records.... and they are not anywhere NEAR some of the other federation records in Kentucky.... but they are on the books none-the-less.... and I am proud!!!
Because LESS than a year ago - those didn't exist!!
It may be small and a loooooong way from BIG - but I am slowly building a "Tammy Green" in the powerlifting world.
I couldn't be more happy!

Cause I don't feel like I have a kid in college!!!DO I?
I mean.... How could I?
I'm only 27 myself!!! (ha ha haaaaaaaaa)

In all honesty - I do only feel like I should be 27 most days. (some call that denial... I call it eternal YOUTH! RIGHT?!! ha ha ) I mean my best friends are getting married and having babies!!
And I'm just over here like...... WHEN is my baby moving out?

{insert big SAD frowny face!}

ohhhhhhhh man.......
it's my baby boy.
My pride. My joy. My one stable thing that's always been there.
We've been through so much together....
We've kinda grown up together...
he knows far more than he should and yet it could NEVER be enough for him to be on his own...

He only JUST graduated 8th grade......

RIGHT??!!

or....OK - HIGH SCHOOL.....
but I mean...... he's still only 18!

Not ready to be eaten alive by this great big MEAN world!!!

I could almost hyperventilate just thinking about it.

at 18.......

The things I did.
The places I went.
The people I met
The STUPID decisions I made.

He CAN'T be ready.
Can he??

Then I remember when I was 18. And how ready I was to face the world. I didn't know a DANG thing, but I held my head high and I walked out and met the world head on.
Things I didn't know, I learned as I went.
Things I did know - turned out to be WRONG so I just learned them again! (and again... and AGAIN if need be!)

I made right choices and wrong choices...
I made good friends and bad friends...
There were ups and there were downs....
High times and LOW times....

But all in all....... I faced the world... and today, although there are still fights and struggles from time to time - I feel like I came out AHEAD!!! WINNING!!!!!!I survived it!
And for most of that - I can thank my parents for raising me to be the STRONG compassionate Christian I am today.
I can thank them for teaching me to be independent
...for teaching me to get back up when you fall down
....for teaching me to not take NO for answer when it's something you believe in...

I thank my parents and friends along the way for WHO I AM TODAY!

And I have raised that baby boy to BE the man he is growing into.

I raised him to see the good all around him.
I raised him to see the good in people and appreciate the beauty in that. It's rare.
I raised him not to take things for granted.
I raised him to understand that not everything comes easy and one wrong decision can land you in hard times...
I raised him not to judge those who have come upon hard times...
I raised him to treat everyone as equals...
I raised him to understand that some people will do ANYTHING to get ahead, but sometimes "anything" isn't worth it in the end.

Be good.

Be honest.

Be trustworthy.

Be respectful.

Be loyal.

And most of all, stand true to that moral, God-fearing, passionate, good-hearted soul that makes me so proud to call you my SON!

So if you see me or talk to me on Sunday and I'm crying or seem sad.....

Know that I'm not SAD.

Know that those are tears of joy and there could not be another person on this planet more proud of that young man as he steps out MY front door to face this great big world on his own.

I love you ZackCoolio!!! :)

I will miss that quirky little boy and all the WEIRD things we've done though his growing up years.... all the silly things that make him JUST LIKE ME. Mama's boy... my spitting image. All the "traditions" that he will carry with him. Some he will still come home for... and some he will hopefully pass on to his family one day. Never forget the times growing up and always cling to those hard lessons learned. And the many more to come. They give you backbone and make you YOU!

Hold on to Spongebob and Scooby and Little League and the Green Car and Nancy's and when times get hard and you think you can't go on... Put on some Pink Floyd so loud that Nancy can hear it and know that "this too shall pass"

Hold on to this quilt full of road trips and ballparks and MEMORIES every night you are away and remember I have always been your BIGGEST fan and I always will be!

I'm feeling pretty good in my training these days... I have refused to try to TOUCH any singles on the bench for weeks now... Some days it's INSANELY irritating... but my overhead press and my incline DB press is getting bigger... so HOW could I NOT increase on bench?! Right?? I mean, it makes sense in theory... but for some reason, my bench continues to defy any rationality in reasoning whatsoever!!!
So I just keep pushing on!!!
Squats and deadlifts are coming up little by little, so I'm still making progress overall.
And darnit - that bench WILL come along!

So here we go.........

Heavy squats

Foam rolling/stretching
Band pull aparts 100

*After playing in the squat suit last week, and it being heavy night, I decided to get back in the suit. But I did my raw work sets first before going real heavy in the suit.*
Squat - 1 @ 90% (155#); 1 @ 92.5% (160#); 1 @ 95% (165) All without knee wraps! MAX EFFORT 1 x 185!!! (with knee wraps!)*this is the first time I have hit 185 raw since working out at Berea with Lilly... this rep was MUCH needed for my mentality in training!*
{Into squat suit here} 1 x 185, 1 x 205
I was then instructed on my squat form. I'm not sitting back enough... my legs are not staying upright enough... knees not pushing out enough... etc. etc. etc.
{Off with the squat suit}
I then proceeded to do BOX SQUATS for 1 MILLION reps trying to get improved form....
blahhhhhhhhhh boring 135 box squats!!
I did (I hope) eventually start sitting back a bit more... but I struggle so much with this... it just doesn't feel natural to me... I feel like I'm falling.... and I panic. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Moved on then to some leg extension 3 x 20
Frustrated... I packed up after that... feeling like my heavy squat night was a BOMB! even with the 185 squat on the record!

Here is my 205 in gear video ( I did 225 last week , but shut down this week to work on form )

And HERE is my 185 squat... it's right at parallel, need to work a bit more on depth - but overall - I'm just happy that I FINALLY hit it again!!

**DEADLIFT - 250 x 1 (SUMO)!!!! whooooo hoooooo SUMO and ALL TIME PR!!! **
This was my goal for the YEAR!!! Whaaaaaaa??!!
Time to set a new one!!!
Stick a fork in me here!!! I'm done. Pack my bag - it gets no better than that!!! ha ha
kidding!
moving on.......

TWO weeks out from our MOCK meet for the Cube.
Feeling pretty good although this week of training doesn't look like that much on paper!
I did hit some PR's - but it looks like my accessory work is lacking.
Better hit it HARD next week!!!!

We also spent some time.... ha ha - more like ALL NIGHT LONG watching CAPO Saturday night into Sunday morning!!! It was SURREAL to watch so I can ONLY imagine what it was like to be there!!! BIG shout out and CONGRATULATIONS to all the Juggernauts and Animal Pak boys... but ESPECIALLY our BOY - BRANDON LILLY!!!! He pulled off a phenomenal 2237 pounds!!! 843/579/815

No man I know has more passion, love, belief and heart about powerlifting than this man!
Congrats LILLY - you earned every pound with blood, sweat, tears and SACRIFICE!!

Going into this week - I was really frustrated with my training and gains. I know to some people, when I tell them my lifts, it sounds impressive. But to me... I guess I expect too much? When I look at where I started and where I am now... I feel like I should be better! YES - I've made gains... but it's not enough! I'm not satisfied!!!
I know I haven't been lifting for THAT long... and I am thrilled with my gains, don't get me wrong.... but at the same time, I feel like with the hard work and time, I should be better than what my numbers reflect!!! Just getting really frustrated.... especially with my BENCH gains.... or LACK thereof!!!!!

So here we go.........

Rep squats
Foam rolling/stretching
Band pull aparts 100

*So when I got to the gym, Travis, one of the guys we work out with, brought in an old Inzer squat suit of his. His TINY squat suit... that he wore a few pounds ago. They thought it would be a good idea for me to try it out. Now I don't know who made squat suits or if they INTENDED a woman's HIPS to fit in there... but trust me - it was not an easy feat!!! But somehow I got in it!!! Had alot of fun once I got it on. For more details about my squat suit lifting... check out THIS BLOG, about ALL that junk.... in my truck (HAHAHA) with more detail!!!
So moving on to my lifts!!!*

Felt a little better after my training this week........
We are THREE weeks out from another MOCK meet for the Cube Method.
I'm really going to push my upper body work for the next few weeks and HOPE I can make some pretty big gains there. I'm also hoping that getting used to having heavier weight on my back with the suit will give me more confidence on my squat! Deadlift.... well switching to Sumo pulls can go either way.... UP or down?! Only time will tell!

A side note...... if you are looking for a good protein bar .... B-rad has been hearing RAVE reviews on the Quest bars. We picked up a few and this white chocolate raspberry bar is TO DIE FOR!!!!!!
Check it out!
YUM YUM YUM!!!!!!!!

WEEK FIVE
We ended this training week with a trip to Holiday World. Some much needed family time with my baby boy before he starts college in the fall... and my B-rad and D and brothers and sister-in-laws and kids that I feel like I hardly ever do anything fun with anymore!!!
Weather was GREAT and we had a fabulous day!!
Hopefully all those coasters got my spine back into alignment!! HA HA!

(as previously stated) My weights are based off my max lifts, whether they be in the gym or in training.Squat - 185Bench - 105Deadlift - 240

I don't have any video from the rest of the week - but I DID proceed to act like a fool on bodybuilding night. Cause B-rad is slow as Christmas working out... so I usually spend some time at the end of our bodybuilding night entertaining myself.
So I played out some yoga moves!!! ha ha
Here's a pic of my sweet move!!! ha ha
I also tried to one leg squat a kettle bell.... still working on that one!!!!

Overall I feel like this week of training BOMBED. Sure some goals were reached but many were not... I'm getting frustrated.